Rowan the Strange by Julie Hearn ~ Started: 27.05.10 ~ Finished: 28.05.10
Synopsis ~
How does a doctor examine a person's brain? They won't use any knives on me, will they? Rowan knows he is strange. But dangerous? He didn't mean to scare his sister. In his right mind, he wouldn't hurt a fly. But there's a place he can go where they say they can fix his mind . . . Beyond the bars on the window, England is at war. Behind them, Rowan's own battle is only just beginning. This amazing story gives a thought-provoking look at life in an asylum and the experimental treatments practised at the start of the Second World War. For Rowan, nobody could ever have predicted the effect these treatments would have . .
Thirteen years old Rowan Scrivener's story begins on the 1st September 1939, the day World War II begins, by the 6th of September 1939, Rowan has left his home in London and has been admitted to a lunatic asylum in Kent and by the end of the day he has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. For a unknown time Rowan has been experiencing auditory hallucinations (hearing voices), delusions, agitation and has become withdrawn, not sleeping, he is obsessed with keeping his family safe and watching the skies to make sure they are not attacked, he believes he can save them, everyone.
Certain incidents have occurred when Rowan becomes aggressive, he hears a voice telling him to hurts himself or others, this time he has hurt his younger sister, Rowan is deeply remorseful after the incidents happen but has no memory of them, he sees the aftermath and tries to cope with it.
As the story progresses, Rowan becomes part of a new treatment called Electroconvulsive therapy (Electric Shock Treatment). Dr Von Metzer, a German doctor administers the treatment and is very confident of the results, as is Dr Thomas, the director. Rowan becomes one of the test cases beside Dorothea, a 15 year old girl who sees Angels and talks to Joan of Arc, Dorothea's family tragically do not want Dorothea to return home.
'Rowan the Strange' is nothing short of remarkable, the characters are well thought out and you care what happens to them, especially Rowan and Dorothea. At times difficult to read especially with Rowan and Dorothea's treatment, to me, its barbaric, he changes so much in a short space of time to what is deemed to be acceptable, so that he can return to society, yes he has a illness but its hard to believe that a child would receive electric shock treatment but given the time the book is set in, it did happen and the majority of patient's family did not know it happened, as is the case with Rowan's family.
Dr Von Metzer is a complicated character which I felt sympathy for, he does what he believes is right while at the same time consumed with guilt because he left Germany and the children who needed his help, because of this, I felt as the story progressed, that he is losing sight of what he had to do, he would look at Rowan and Dorothea and think because they were in a safe, warm place they were both in a better position than the children in Germany and in some ways Rowan and Dorothea were but all of the children lost something, their lives in some cases and who they were as individuals in another cases, both sacred, a life and a mind.
'Rowan the strange' is a powerful story with underlying stories beneath it, Dr Von Metzer is a German doctor in England at the start of the war, everyone is suspicious of him, Rowan, who I felt lost his spirit, his imagination, yes he did have problems, problems that had to be addressed and the general feeling was that once he had the name of his illness, everything was fixable, it upset me because Rowan, a genuine loving and caring young boy lost a lot of himself and the book shows him striving to find what he lost, whether its a voice in his head, or months of memory loss, its hard to decide.
Julia Hearn description of Rowan is fascinating to read and sad at the same time because she has explored the subject so well, the feeling towards mental health in the 1930s, which I found horrifying to be honest. I have worked with the adults who are schizophrenic and its tough for them to be accepted, in some cases, obtaining a correct diagnosis. I can't imagine how difficult it would be for a 13 year old boy, by the end of the book, you will want only good things for Rowan, I know I did.
An excellent read.
